ElizabethBarrett BrowningBiographical InformationElizabethBarrett BrowningGeorge Sand1806-1861 (Kelly, England-Florence, Italy)First in her family born in England in two hundred yearsFamily money came from Jamaican plantations, which deteriorated as abolition came about in England (Emancipation Act 1833), though EBB supported abolitionLung illness and spinal injury led to her lifelong addiction to morphineSidenote!Real name: Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin1804-1876 (Paris-Nohant, France)Family had many connections with royalty, but George Sand rejected such connectionsRaised in the countryside, provided backdrop for her rustic novels. Resisted social conventions (smoking in public, dressing as a man, etc.)First Pseudonym Jules Sand when writing with Jules SandeauWas a socialistGeorge SandElizabeth Barrett BrowningOn the Cruelty of Forcement to Man (1813)The Battle of Marathon: A Poem (1820)An Essay on Mind, with Other Poems - 13 Poems (1826)Aurora Leigh (1856)Sonnets from the Portugese - 44 Sonnets (1850)How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sightFor the ends of Being and ideal Grace.I love thee to the level of everyday'sMost quiet need, by sun and candle-light.I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.I love thee with a passion put to useIn my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to loseWith my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better after death."How do I love Thee?" (Sonnet 43)To George Sand: A Recognition (1844)True genius, but true woman! dost deny Thy woman's nature with a manly scorn And break away the gauds and armlets worn By weaker women in captivity? Ah, vain denial! that revolted cry Is sobbed in by a woman's voice forlorn— Thy woman's hair, my sister, all unshorn Floats back dishevelled strength in agony Disproving thy man's name: and while before The world thou burnest in a poet-fire, We see thy woman-heart beat evermore Through the large flame. Beat purer, heart, and higher, Till God unsex thee on the heavenly shore, Where unincarnate spirits purely aspire!(line 1) In her seemingly paradoxical praise of Sand, Browning supports Sand's view by implying that the trait of intelligence was that of the Woman. At the time of writing, this would have been controversial in that major endeavors in science were being made to empirically prove that men were superior to women (endeavors which ultimately never came to fruition).(lines 2- 4) Sand is referenced to being "amid the lions" to showcase her defiance and independence. The further description of the roar follows Sand's willingness to be publicly controversial in pursuit of her own ideals.(lines 5- 7) By the circus imagery, Browning elevates Sand above the common people, using the thunder to ascribe to her a role as being a god among the rest; rather than participating in or viewing spectacle for entertainment, she transcends it.(lines 8- 12) Browning continues her rhetorical elevation of Sand, first by employing the pure imagery of the white swan wings being affixed to Sand. The Swan, in its connection with water, can represent fluidity and creativity, representing Sand in the way that even typically permanent structures in her life often failed to stay and complementing her creativity as an author. Browning's application of the swan wings to double as the wings of an angel seem to further her idea of role model, going as far to say that George Sand is the ideal man and woman, that anyone can look up to her in the way that she lives so purely. (lines 13- 14) Browning again mixes the traditional roles of man and woman to give a sense of closure in the sonnet by resonating with the beginning. At the same time, she is also reaching out to the future, hoping that Sand, as a role model, will reach both the maidens and the children, if not the men, of tomorrow and ideally build a less-prejudiced future.The work, as a whole, deals with the identity of George Sand and manipulates the double image of the author to put forth a message about gender equality. Sand, in both work and life, stood for challenging social conventions. In this sense, Browning tried to remove gender from identity.To George Sand: A desire (1844)Desire (1844)